Whirlwind New Year's.

Missy flew in around midnight on Saturday. 

So naturally, in true Walters fashion, by 8 the next morning we had stuffed seven people and two dogs in the Expedition and gotten on the road for the beach.

It was December 29th and the high was 70. Can you blame us? 

Man, we are going to miss North Carolina when we have to move this summer. Epic winter beach days are a real treat. (Appreciated even more with the help of delighted North Dakotans and Alaskans.)

Also, there might have been wine in cans.
And a side trip to the always-fabulous North Carolina Aquarium

which, bizarrely, included this $2 hurricane simulator that Missy gamely checked out.

 

Plus a real Walters Classic: a death march with dubiously enthusiastic kids in tow

which culminated in an unplanned pedestrian ride on the car ferry

before being rescued by a carful of Niemans and ushered into a late night intro to the Chicken Wars. A very committed Seth converted the whole fam: Popeye's wins.

The perenially enjoyable week between Christmas and New Year's featured- besides Missy, the (obvious) marquee event- "Ford Day" with Grandma and Grandpa

(at which Ford killed it at the car wash and won this bizarre and beloved Hogwarts somethingorother doll);

"Anderson Creek Day" for the rest of us (golf carts and fishing and broken paddleboats, oh my!); 

and a bonus round of North Carolina chill: go-quet (don't ask),

the last golden hours for the very-well-loved bounce house,

and late night hot tub-polar-plunges.

New Year's Eve dawned warm enough for "tennis"

and stayed lovely enough for a reprise of the American flag dress

and an unfortunate dead golf cart battery (otherwise entitled, the "Anderson Creek walk of shame")

before it devolved into the standard kid rager (trash bag was a Missy rig for the beach ball drop, which happened and which was incredible)

at which Missy solidified her MVP status, heading up kid resolutions (hilariously, for each other) and keeping the fire department from interfering with a good time.

An epic time was had by all.

Even (especially?) if it ended up with a record 14 houseguests and a claustrophobic Missy sleeping in my walk-in closet.

I dropped the ever- low- maintenance Miss at the airport today, the last haul on her whistlestop Christmas tour for which we're all immensely grateful; and Jayne and Tony start the long drive back to ND tomorrow. We're not sure what we're going do without our best people (or Ford's dogs!) but feel incredibly grateful for family members who will travel for days and sleep in closets to be with us. 2020 is off to a bang-up start.

Ford's "New Year's morning in front of a warm fire" face notwithstanding.

Which made me laugh, but not as hard as Finley's "cleaning pose," seconds after she learned that 1) the new chore scheme includes money for her piggybank and 2) rubber gloves are randomly photogenic. Trust Finley to make it a show.

All our love and best of the new year!